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 by Shawn Sanders |
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Having only played early, unfinished beta versions of the PC hit Deus Ex, I was more than curious to see what its console counterpart had to offer. Well, I'm pleased to say that most of what was loved about the PC version has been retained. Freedom and open-ended gameplay are what you can expect from Deus Ex: The Conspiracy, though limited console resources make it far from phenomenal.
The story tells of an unsavory future where the affluent hoard precious cures and vaccines for deadly epidemics plaguing the globe. Inevitably, this causes much social unrest. UNATCO (The United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition) fights to maintain what little order remains.
You
take on the guise of rookie UNATCO agent J.C. Denton. You quickly realize that
UNATCO's intentions are less than honorable and...spoiler, spoiler, spoiler.
Suffice it to say the story is one of the game's better features, steeped in
espionage and plot-twists worthy of a cult budget film.
Deus Ex is hardly your typical first-person shooter. As J.C., you will undertake various missions broken down into primary and secondary objectives. After completing an objective, you're awarded points that can be allocated to further proficiency in a wide range of skills, tools and weaponry. You can upgrade your ability to hack computer consoles, fire heavy and small arms weapons, use multi-tools (electronic lock picking), conventional lock picks, demolitions, melee weapons, swimming, environmental suits and a few others. Combine this with the ability to enhance cyborg-like augmentations such as speed, strength and swimming - not to mention augmenting various munitions you acquire in the field - and you can see just how open-ended the problem solving can get. Augment your tranquilizer crossbow with a scope and you're well on your way down the path of the sly and sneaky.
I must note: mastery is the key to survival in Deus Ex. You want to be an expert in the few, not passable in the many. Being well-balanced might be fine if you're breakfast, but in Deus Ex it means you won't be able to open a certain door or aim a sniper rifle. If you're a hacker, then don't waste your time also trying to become Rambo. But if you want, you can "have it your way!"
To complement this intricate smorgasbord of gameplay, the developers have designed the world with unbelievable interactivity and variation. Nearly every obstacle, puzzle, or group of grunts (of which the game has many) in Deus Ex can be bypassed or circumnavigated in more than one way. Need to get into a building? Well, do a little reconnaissance. Maybe you can throw a 40oz. bottle you picked up missions ago to distract a guard, which may let you access a computer terminal that you can hack into and bypass the electronic lock to open vital access points. Or maybe you've been beefing out your speed and shooting ability and decide to introduce the dumb guards to your version of The Matrix with guns a blazin'. Perhaps there's a better way in through the roof, or through a window, or, heck, who knows. It's all left to the player's discretion, which should be a welcome change of pace for console-only gamers.
Controlling J.C. and accessing essential weapons, items and augmentations is pretty simple but does take a bit of acclimation. Every button has a function and the default control scheme is smart in its design. Movement is handled with the analog sticks, while the triggers are for jumping and firing. The rest of the buttons allow you to toggle your inventory, which makes switching weapons and augs in the middle of a firefight much easier than it was in the PC version. Although aiming with the analog stick in this game is much harder than it is in other console FPSs, the control is still pretty well thought out.
It doesn't state it anywhere on the box or in the manual, but you are able to plug in a USB mouse & keyboard for more precision. The problem here is that there is no documentation indicating which key does what. You'll spend about an hour trying to figure out how to access you augmentations. Still, the option is welcome.
Unfortunately, Deus Ex is a rollercoaster ride of good and bad. The unique gameplay experience is followed by a very familiar payload of problems - namely, weak A.I and unforgivable graphics.
Conversing
with the NPC characters adds life, atmosphere and reveals a great deal of optional
information to aid you (or annoy you) in completing your objectives. But enemy
guards are often deaf and blind when you're in plain sight, even if you're making
enough noise to wake the entire compound. At other times, their hearing and
sight becomes supersonic. Maybe they're using the Sword of Omens' sight-beyond-sight
to spy your cozy hiding spots.
Enemies will hide in plain view or not seek cover at all, and shoot with uncanny William Tell-like accuracy. It's a double edged sword. AI consistency and efficiency fall short to freedom and open-ended gameplay, as do aesthetics.
If there is a PS2 game whose graphics fare worse than those in Deus Ex, then that is a game I truly dread seeing. At first glance you wonder why a console version was even developed. Characters and objects have an amazingly low polygon count, leaving a lot of sharp edges. Colors are very bland; I understand it may be to help the game's dark, brooding feel, but come on. Color palettes are there for a reason, people. Plus, the weapon models aren't interesting and lack detail.
For that matter, the entire game world in general could use some detailed touch-up work. There are absolutely no cuts, grooves or attention to detail in the slightest. The textures are flat and lifeless.
I wish I could say the character animation makes up for this, but I can't. NPCs have very few frames of unimpressive animation. They slide around on the floor like Gumby. At least the developers could have timed the steps in cync with the characters' rate of travel so it wouldn't appear like the NPCs all wear rocket skates.
There is one other minor problem Deus Ex poses - excessive loading. Like many other PC to console ports, this game needs to load nearly every twenty minutes, breaking up the player's groove and just being plain old aggravating.
When you add it all up, Deus Ex is a mixed bag of good and evil. The gameplay experience is like none other - you will have to pull yourself away from testing the limits of the game world's interactivity and get to the mission at hand. "I wonder if I can get some smokes from that there cigarette machi...holy monkey dung! I can!" But where it succeeds in its concept, it stumbles in its delivery. Deus Ex: The Conspiracy is a one-of-a-kind video game experience. Just don't expect a pretty one.
| Revolution Report Card |
| B- |
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+ Great gameplay experience |
